Changes to special educational needs and disability (SEND) legislation in England were implemented in 2014. Here, we evaluate the impact of these changes from the perspective of 80 autistic young people aged 16-25 years. Using an online survey and/or interviews, we examined young people's views on three key principles of the SEND reforms: the help and support provided to them; whether they were given a say in the choices and support that they were offered; and their satisfaction with their educational journeys and outcomes. The results paint a mixed picture. Our sample of young people reported varied experiences regarding the help and support they received, and how much of a say they had regarding the choices and support available to them. The types of schooling they accessed played a role here: young people in mainstream schools highlighted particular challenges in accessing appropriate support, while many young people in special schools said they felt well supported. Parental advocacy was crucial for all young people, as was having key 'champions' in the form of teachers who really knew them well. The need for the development of general life and self-advocacy skills was apparent, however, especially in preparing the young people for life after school. Encouragingly, most of our participants were generally happy with their current situation, despite identifying several areas for further improvement. Overall, the results highlight the importance of listening to-and learning from-autistic young people, throughout their educational journeys and especially as they transition to adulthood.

Education professionals (n = 41) in special schools were interviewed about supporting their autistic pupils transitioning to adulthood following the introduction of the Children and Families Act 2014. Our participants explained how they lacked the time to fully implement knowledge gained from training, leading to growing reliance on experiential expertise. While our participants reported employing a variety of methods to elicit the voices of pupils, they were uncertain how effective and ethical these were. Further, a lack of available opportunities meant that participants felt they could not always support young people in achieving their goals. Based on these findings, we recommend greater investment in the implementation of staff training, more flexibility for schools to be able to meaningfully elicit and act on pupils' voices, and better vocational opportunities for autistic young people with additional learning needs. This would enable the principles of the Act, which have been widely lauded, to become a closer reality.

No abstract

Background. In 2014, changes to special educational needs and disability (SEND) legislation were introduced in England and Wales. These reforms aimed for young people and their families to receive the help and support they need, have a say regarding their support needs, and achieve better outcomes. We evaluated the impact of these reforms, five years on, from the perspective of parents of autistic young people (16-25 years). Specifically, we used these reforms as a framework to identify the support parents desired for their autistic children as they transitioned to adulthood.Method. We collected parents’ views and experiences about the impact of the SEND reforms on them and their autistic children. In total, 115 parents of autistic young people in England and Wales participated, via an online survey and/or interview. Results. Despite supporting the principles of the reforms, parents reported that their experiences, and those of their children, had not improved since they were introduced. Parents added that the reforms (which introduced the potential of support for young people up until the age of 25) were simply delaying the inevitable, and there was still limited support for them and their children as they transitioned to adulthood. Parental advocacy, rather than the needs of the autistic young person, was felt to be linked to outcomes.Conclusions. We discuss lessons that can be learned – in England and Wales, but also internationally – to ensure that every autistic young person, irrespective of family background, can access high quality support and achieve their goals.

Changes to special educational needs and disability (SEND) legislation in England were implemented in 2014, aiming to provide a radically different system for young people with SEND. In this research, we evaluated the impact of these changes from the perspective of autistic young people aged 16-25 years. Using an online survey and interviews, we examined young people’s views on three key principles of the SEND reforms: the help and support provided to them; whether they were given a say in the choices and support that they were offered; and their satisfaction with their educational journeys and outcomes. The results painted a mixed picture. Our sample of young people reported varied experiences regarding the help and support they received, and how much of a say they had regarding the choices and support available to them. The types of schooling they accessed played a role here, with young people in mainstream schools highlighting particular challenges in accessing appropriate support. Parental advocacy was crucial in this regard, as was having key ‘champions’ in the form of teachers who really knew the young people well. The need for the development of general life and self-advocacy skills was apparent however, especially in preparing the young people for life after school. Encouragingly, most of our participants were generally happy with their current situation, despite identifying several areas for further improvements. Overall, the results highlight the importance of listening to - and learning from - autistic young people; throughout their educational journeys but especially as they transition to adulthood.